Sword Play
by Hipparkia
Summary: Sesshoumaru imparts some knowlege upon little Rin. rnNot a romantic pairing! Please read and review!
1. 1

_While I do not own any of these characters would that I did! I suppose their actions in this story belong to me. Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Aun belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Thanks!_

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A tall figure dressed all in white stared blankly at the western horizon, seemingly deep in thought. Behind him were a toad youkai tending a fire and a little girl whose brightly colored kimono contradicted her sullen face. The day's light had just begun to fade.

"Rin – here, eat. It's done," Jaken said as he offered her a roasted fish. She just shook her head and drew her knees closer to her chest.

"What's this? Girl, you're hungry every minute of the day and here I wasted time preparing…" Rin pursed her lip and turned away as Jaken continued to scold her. This caught Sesshoumaru's attention. Though he looked straight ahead, he always listened. Jaken exhaled sharply. "…Well – suit yourself, but I don't want to hear any complaints out of you later on!" The toad had apparently grown bored with his effort, and began to eat both the fish.

Shortly after having consumed his meal Jaken was sleeping soundly leaning up against the two-headed dragon, Aun. Sesshoumaru sat leaning against a tree opposite the little girl and his retainer. Rin's posture had changed little since the incident at dinner. She poked at the dirt with a stick, her eyes never leaving the ground. As usual, Sesshoumaru watched her, though one would have to examine his face closely to realize it, as he stared off into the distance. He preferred silence, though hers was a bit – unnerving? In any case it was unusual. It occurred to Sesshoumaru how quickly he had become accustomed to her incessant chatter, but as quickly as the notion materialized, he dismissed it, in favor of going over what had been accomplished that day. They had been traveling, but had not covered the distance he had expected. Another attempt had been made to kidnap Rin. It was a minor inconvenience, really, but Jaken had made quite a fuss about the lost time. Sesshoumaru was also disappointed in the delay, and he supposed it had shown.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin looked up at him across the fire though her messy black bangs. As he turned to look at her she hugged her knees tighter. "Will you please teach Rin to fight?"


	2. 2

_Howdy! Thank you all for the reviews. Here is the second chapter of 'Sword Play.'_

_Remember, all the characters herein are the intellectual property of Ms. Rumiko Takahashi. The story itself belongs to me._

_This is not the end of the story. There is more to come. I hope you all enjoy it!_

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He just looked at her.

"I just wanted – I just thought…" Her meek voice trailed off and she dug the stick into the dirt again, as if searching for her words. When she peeked back over her knees at him he was still staring directly at her. Rin had thought to herself before that when Sesshoumaru-sama looked at someone that there was definitely something different about it, as if he looked more _deeply_ than others did. She knew he wouldn't speak, so she swallowed hard as she got to her feet. Though he was still reclining she had to tilt her head to meet his eyes.

"If Rin could fight for herself – Rin doesn't want to be a burden for Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama!" She had never spoken so directly to him before, and suddenly became embarrassed and frightened that perhaps she had stepped outside of her place.

Sesshoumaru was surprised by the girl's assertion, but his countenance remained as stone. While he considered how to respond he noticed the sparkle of tears welling in Rin's eyes. Wordlessly he arose and strode to the pile of firewood. Her eyes followed his every move. The youkai lord examined the pile for a moment, before selecting two slender but sturdy staffs of wood. He moved to a clear patch of grass on the other side of the fire, opposite the dragon and his servant.

"Rin." He motioned her over and put the staff of kindling in her tiny hand and stepped back. Again, he stared into her eyes.

"Hit me." The little girl shifted her weight on her bare feet and looked at him with a worried expression.

"You cannot hurt me." He said as reassuringly as he could. "Come, strike me." Rin's face lit up as she realized that Sesshoumaru-sama was going to teach her. She giggled as she raised the stick and ran at him, swinging with all her might.

CRACK!

Sesshoumaru merely raised his piece of firewood to block the girl's blow, but she lost her balance and fell backwards. Having been in a deep slumber, Jaken and the dragon, Aun, awoke with a start just in time to see Rin land unceremoniously on her rump. In a flash the dragon positioned itself between the surprised girl and its master knocking down the drowsy toad in the process. Sesshoumaru took a step forward and both heads snarled at him with furrowed brows.

"Aun!" Rin spring to her feet and ran to the front of the animal. "It's alright Ah and Un. Sesshoumaru-sama is teaching Rin to fight!" She gave both snouts a few kisses.

Sesshoumaru mused at this to himself, "I suppose I know where the beast's loyalties lie." He would have preferred the others to remain sleeping. He didn't need witnesses to his lessons. For him to waste time trying to impart some knowledge on a mere human…Jaken was brushing the dirt from his clothing and straightening his cap.

"Teaching _you_ to _fight_? I've never heard of anything so ridiculous!" Rin turned sharply and opened her mouth to say some thing but Sesshoumaru spoke first.

"I think it practical for Rin to learn to _defend_ herself, if the need should arise." Sesshoumaru shot Jaken a look that made it plain the taiyoukai didn't need to explain himself to his servant. Jaken shrunk back, and Rin grinned from ear to ear.


End file.
